Terror hits lahore.

Several Sri Lankan cricket players were shot and wounded this morning when their bus came under fire in Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore, their manager Brenden Kurrupu told AFP. Five policemen were also reported killed in the encounter.

Terror struck at the heart of cricket when masked gunmen attacked the bus carrying the Sri Lankan cricket team to the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Five cricketers, including Mahela Jayawardene, the Sri Lankan captain, and his deputy Kumar Sangakkara, received minor injuries. The attack left five security men dead and will almost certainly lead to abandonment of the ongoing Test match.

While there have been terror strikes on the peripheries of cricket, this is the first time players have been directly targeted. The Sri Lankans were on their way to the Gaddafi Stadium when their bus was attacked by five armed terrorists near Liberty market. Habibur Rehman, chief commissioner of police, said 12 masked terrorists fired at the Sri Lankan team bus. The gunmen shot at the wheels of the bus and also injured the driver. A grenade was also thrown at the bus but it missed. The others players injured are Ajantha Mendis, Thilan Samaraweera and Tharanga Paranavitana

"The bus came under attack as we were driving to the stadium, the gunmen targeted the wheels of the bus first and then the bus," Mahela Jayawardene told Cricinfo. "We all dived to the floor to take cover. About five players have been injured and also Paul Farbrace [a member of the support staff], but most of the injuries appear to be minor at this stage and caused by debris."

The Sri Lankan team had stepped in to fill a gap after the Indian government had barred the Indian team from touring Pakistan in the aftermath of the terror attack in Mumbai by Pakistan-based terrorists.

LAHORE, Pakistan – Masked gunman opened fire on the Sri Lankan cricket team's bus in Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore Tuesday, killing at least eight people and wounding six players, officials said.

Lahore police chief Habib-ur Rehman said 12 gunmen attacked the convoy near Lahore's Gaddafi stadium with rockets, hand grenades and automatic weapons and were involved in a 25-minute shoot-out with the security forces.

"They appeared to be well-trained terrorists. They came on rickshaws," he told reporters.

A police official said two civilians and six police officers who were guarding the players were killed in the attack which happened as the team was heading for the third day's play in the second Test against Pakistan.

Television footage of several gunmen creeping through the trees, crouching to aim their kalashnikovs then running onto the next target were aired by Pakistan's private channel Geo.

Crystals of broken glass littered the road next to a gun cartridge and an empty rocket-propelled grenade launcher. A police motorbike was shown crashed sideways into the road at the Liberty Chowk (roundabout) in Lahore.

Bullet holes ripped through the windscreen of another vehicle and a white car was shown smashed headlong into the roundabout as nervous security officers guarded the site.

Sri Lankan authorities said six players were believed to have been wounded.

In Sri Lanka, Sports Minister Gamini Lokuge said Tharanga Paranavitana and Thilan Samaraweera had been taken to hospital in Lahore.

Sri Lankan skipper Mahela Jayawardena was also slightly wounded in the foot, his father told a Sri Lankan local television station after speaking with his son by telephone.

Samaraweera is one of Sri Lanka's leading players. He became only the seventh batsmen in Test cricket to notch a double hundred in consecutive matches on Monday, scoring 214 after a 231 in the drawn first Test.

Fears of attacks by Islamic militants linked to Al-Qaeda have caused many teams to postpone or cancel cricket tours to Pakistan in recent years.

Australia earlier this month forced Pakistan to change the venue of a one-day series to the neutral venues of Dubai and Abu Dhabi when the two sides meet in April-May this year over security fears.

Australia, who also played Pakistan in three Tests at the neutral venues of Colombo and Dubai in 2002, have not toured here since 1998.

India also refused to send its team across the border amid heightened tensions in the wake of attacks on the Indian city of Mumbai, which New Delhi blamed on militants based in Pakistan.

Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are due to jointly host the cricket World Cup in 2011.

Last month, Pakistan's cricket chief vowed to improve security arrangements for the 10th edition of the four-yearly event and denied there was a risk associated with staging some of the games in the troubled country.

Last month, security concerns raised by other teams forced the ICC to move the 2009 Champions Trophy out of Pakistan.

The elite eight-nation Trophy was to be held in September-October this year but the ICC was to announce a new venue in April.

The event was originally scheduled for last year but was put off after South Africa pulled out of the event and Australia, England and New Zealand showed reluctance to tour because of fears about players' safety.

The shooting also came as the Sri Lankan army pushed its final offensive against ethnic Tamil Tiger rebels in the north of the country in a civil war that has claimed tens of thousands of lives.

Samaraweera has been shot in the thigh. One player is believed to have been shot in the chest.

Up to six police officers were killed in the attack near the Gadaffi stadium.

Former Sky cricket director Gavin Scovell is at the stadium and has spoken to coach Trevor Bayliss.

Mr Scovell told Sky News: "They were ambushed at around 50 yards from the stadium by two gunmen who sprayed either side of the bus with bullets.

"They all hit the deck, eight of the cricketers were shot," he said.
The cricketers' injuries are not thought to be life threatening.

Sky correspondent Alex Crawford said: "Our police sources are telling us there had been a threat that the Sri Lankan team may be attacked - that came on Monday - and a different route was taken.

"But that seemed to make no difference. Police believe there were 12 gunmen, they were well informed and they attacked on four different sides using AK-47s and throwing hand grenades.

"It was a sophisticated attack, which the Punjab governor is likening to the attack seen in Mumbai in India - even suffesting that there may be the same people involved in the organising of this attack."

The gunmen were able to flee after the shootings and are believed to be still at large.

The test match has been cancelled and the Sri Lankan team are to pull out of Pakistan immediately, officials said.

I always had hope that Pakistan can climb out of this terrorist mess that they brought upon themselves! Now, I must say, after this, I am sure Pakistan is going Under terrorist rule soon, Mark my words, Its going to be the Next Afghanistan!. I say Pakistan get over Kashmir and work towards killing all the terrorists wreaking havoc in neighboring countries and their motherland!

Kill the guys Blaming India and RAW for this! Blaming without solid evidence, isnt that what Pakistan was against during Mumbai attacks?? This was and is a horrific day. The terrorists cant be stopped until and unless all support to it from Pakistan is searched and destroyed and if the want arises, ISI be dismantled!

IT seems immaturity is getting better of the pakistani media and establishment at this point of time .
the media from both sides need to join hands in denouncing this evil instead of playing this blame game saga.
we do not want a mumbai and lahore again. i expect better and professional reporting and coverage from both sides.

WE AT DFI ARE AGAINST ANY FORM OF TERORISM AND WE STRONGLY CONDEMN THE RECENT LAHORE TERRORIST ATTACKS.
DFI WONT BE A PARTY TO THIS BLAME GAME AND COME OUT WITH STUPID STATEMENTS AND COMMENTS.
we will show where we stand in respect to the other forums.

If this attack had taken part in any other Pak city, it would not have worried me much. Lahore, is considered a very Liberal and Modern city with equally modern citizenry. But this goes onto prove that, even Lahore is not safe! GOP must act now, and act hard it must!

If this attack had taken part in any other Pak city, it would not have worried me much. Lahore, is considered a very Liberal and Modern city with equally modern citizenry. But this goes onto prove that, even Lahore is not safe! GOP must act now, and act hard it must!

> Mumbai blast happened for same purpose targeting India, by the PA/ISI.

> Attack on cricketers touring pakistan.

> I highly doubt that something of this sort might happen in India as well. ISI is quite sure that to save Pakistan(Punjab) the only way left is to put the whole kaum under 1 roof. And that roof can be no other than the Animosity with India. Either whole blame is going to be on India for this, which will also save them from 26/11 frenzy going up their butts, or they might try to instignate India in little future. Maybe during IPL.

The Pressure cooker makes much noise before it bursts but the problem is that it will also stink the whole place around it.

Now it's upto us to save ourselves from this "Soon to be bursting Pot".

The terrorist attack on Sri Lanka players in Lahore will spell the end of international cricket in Pakistan, Fox Sports cricket commentator Brendon Julian says.
"Pakistan will certainly be a no-go zone for at least two years," Julian said after the attack on Sri Lanka's team bus as the players were being driven to the Gaddafi Stadium for day three of the second Test against Pakistan.

"No national board will even contemplate the idea of sending a team to Pakistan following this attack.

"This really seals the fate for the Pakistan Cricket Board in that they will now have to arrange all their future matches, both one-day and Tests, to be played at neutral venues."

LONDON: Pakistan cannot host international cricket unless it dramatically improves security, the head of the sport's world body said after

Tuesday's Lahore attacks, questioning notably the 2011 World Cup.

"In the current situation it is clearly a very dangerous place," David Morgan, president of the International Cricket Council, said after the deadly attacks on Sri Lanka's cricket team in the Pakistani city.

Asked about plans for the World Cup, due to be played in the four sub-continent countries, ICC president David Morgan said, "Things will have to change dramatically in Pakistan in my opinion if any of the games are to be staged there."

"I think that international cricket in Pakistan is out of the question until there is a very significant change, a regime change I guess," he added.

An ICC spokesman said he assumed Morgan was referring to a call by Pakistani senators this week for the PCB to be sacked.

In an interview, Morgan added, "Quite clearly there could be a regime change in Pakistan and the place could become safe and peaceful again, but that all remains to be seen.

"The World Cup was awarded to the four countries in the subcontinent. The allocation of matches between those four countries is yet to be made.

"Quite clearly, this event puts a great question mark over the ability of Pakistan to host World Cup matches."

Sharad Pawar, ICC Vice-President and the chairman of the Organising Committee of the 2011 World Cup to be jointly hosted by four Asian countries, has admitted that it would be difficult to hold matches in Pakistan in the wake of the terror attack.

"We might get a communication from many participants whether they will play there or not. That will affect our entire programme," he said.

"But now the situation is such that we have to give a thought and it is really shameful what is happening in that country," he said.

"I have discussed this particular situation with CEO of ICC. We have decided to meet sometime next week. All the members who are associated to organise this World Cup have to take decision", he said.

Eight people died when the Sri Lankan cricket team's convoy was attacked by masked gunmen as they travelled to play at the Gaddafi stadium in Lahore. Seven team members were injured.

Pakistan's High Commissioner to Britain Wajid Hasan meanwhile told Sky News television that it was too early to talk of the end of international cricket in his country.

AHORE: Sri Lanka's cricketers paid a heavy price on Tuesday for agreeing to tour a country nobody else was prepared to visit.

They only stepped in after India cancelled a much-anticipated January-February series here due to simmering political tensions between the two countries over the Mumbai terrorist attacks last November.

That cancellation was the third major cricket event called off in Pakistan in the past year, after Australia refused to tour in March and the ICC postponed the elite eight-nation Champions Trophy set for August until 2009.

It was a disaster for the Pakistan Cricket Board who said at the time that the Indian pullout would lose them least 25 million dollars.

While Sri Lanka initially committed to fill the Indian void the tour came into question after the country's sports minister, Gamini Lokuge, disbanded the interim national cricket board and sacked its chairman Arjuna Ranatunga.

But in December Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse finally gave the green light, making the team the first to play a Test in Pakistan since South Africa in October 2007.

"Sport is an effective means of promoting connectivity between nations and thereby enhancing friendship and mutual goodwill between countries," Sri Lanka's foreign minister Rohitha Bogollagama was quoted as saying at the time.

Barely two months later and his team was being helicoptered out of Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore after masked gunman opened fire on their team bus, wounding eight members of the tour party -- seven players and a coach.

The Sri Lankan team first played international cricket in 1975, and were awarded Test status in 1981, which made them the eighth Test playing nation.

Routinely seen as a cricketing minnow, they transformed themselves into a major force during the 1990s, winning the 1996 World Cup by beating Australia in the finals.

Since then they have continued to be a major force, reaching the finals of the 2007 World Cup where they lost to the Aussies while nurturing some of the best talent in the world.

Perhaps their best-known star is spin-king Muttiah Muralitharan, who has underpinned their success by backing up the batting heroics of Sanath Jayasuriya and the now-retired Aravinda de Silva.

It was an inglorious end to a series that had already been split into two parts with the venues of some of matches changed at the last minute.

Sri Lanka were initially due to play three one-dayers in Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad in January but the third venue was dropped at Si Lanka's request, with no more details given.

The one-dayers went off without a hitch, ending on January 24 with the Sri Lankans winning the series 2-1 before the team left the country.

They returned on February 14 to play two Tests, with the first in Karachi ending in a draw before the second was called off on Tuesday after Sri Lanka posted 606 in their first innings. Pakistan were 110 without loss in reply.